Excursion

2ndJuly, 2004

Hungarian Route

focused on the cultivation of vegetables and the production of baby food

Programme

1. Mosonmagyaróvár Agricultural Faculty

2. BIOKERTÉRTSZET Rábcakapi, Mr. NÉMETH István’s farm

The participants at the field trip were accompanied by Jano Brondoš, an inspector of the Biokontroll inspection authority, who informed them on the current situation and development of Hungarian organic agriculture.

1. The Mosonmagyaróvár College of Agriculture

The school was the first agricultural university in Europe. It was founded in 1818 by an aristocrat who needed educated workforce for managing his farms.

Dr. Pétér Roszik, a collaborator of the faculty and head of the Biokontroll Hungaria KHT inspection authority, described the current situation in Hungarian organic agriculture (www.biokontroll.hu).

The university workers demonstrated methods of weather forcasting at agricultural enterprises by means of small meteorological stations. The device can accurately predict the onset of plant diseases according to the state and development of weather conditions (e.g. Phytophthora infestans in potatoes). A plant protection prognostic service based on this method operates in Germany as well. Based on the weather conditions and forcast, exact doses of plant protection substances can be applied. The lecture on the methods of the prognoses and detection of pests and diseases included marginally the methods of plant protection in organic farming as well.

2. The BIOKERTÉRTSZET RÁBCAKAPI agricultural enterprise

Ten years ago, in the village of Rábcakapi located in “Small Lowlands” near Györ in Northwest Hungary, Mr. István Németh started a farm specializing in the production of field vegetables in keeping with the rules of organic production as specified by the Ellenörzött Biogazdaság Biokultúra association.

The area is made up of blackland and the soil has a high content of humus. The farm grows twenty kinds of vegetables, mainly carrots, which is hard to imagine in areas with a low content of humus in soil. The production of carrots is contracted by the Hipp company and processed in Hungary for baby food. Customers buy vegetables directly from the farm in larger quantities (e.g. for one month ahead) or have it delivered individually (the so-called Abo-Kisten Systém). The farm also delivers vegetables to Budapest, where customers are ready to pay higher prices for organic vegetables.

As is apparent from the proportion of carrots in the sowing plan, this organic enterprise farms rather intensively. Mr. István Németh showed the participants the authorized plant protection substances which he uses. The Czech participants were stunned by the number of preparations authorized for use in Hungary. This fact is of crucial importance for Mr. Németh as it enables him to grow vegetables productively; it also spurred a discussion on sustainable farming, with some of the participants pointing out the necessity of fostering a balance in the ecosystem. Pest control was discussed extensively as well. BIOKERTÉRTSZET is a thriving enterprise with an excellent system of organic product sales. Its land under crop is in a very good condition.

Czech Route

focused on viticulture and the production of vegetables and cereals

Programme

• The Pollau farm, the Abrle family, Pavlov
• Dr. Piatti farm, Březí
• The Hlaváč family farm, Březí

Twenty five participants took place in the Czech field trip. First, they went to the Abrle family organic farm in the Pálava region ( South Moravia) covering an acreage of 11 hectares and specializing in viticulture and the production of herbs (13 varieties). The farm produces quality organic wines with distinction, mostly the Pálava, Moravian Muscatel and Cabernet Moravia varieties. As part of the field trip, a tasting of wines made by Moravian, Austrian and German vintners (who had taken part in a consumer wine-tasting held in Pavlov and the winners of which were presented at Bioacademy 2004) took place.

In a pleasant mood, the field trip continued to nearby Březí near Mikulov ,where Dr. Michael Piatti, an Austrian farmer, runs an organic farm growing cereals, potatoes, gourds and other vegetables. Dr. Piatti informed the visitors on his experience with the organic protection of potatoes.

The last stop was a few hundred meters away, also in Březí, to Mr. and Mrs. Hláváč’s farm cultivating beans, chickpeas, cereals, potatoes and vegetables. They treated the participants to an excellent chickpea goulash and home-grown wine.

Slovak Route

focused on organic seed, the production of cereals, fruit growing and research

Programme

• Sládkovičovo, Sema s.r.o. (Ltd.)
• Kolíňany, Lívia Orchard
• Piešťany, vúrv Research Institute of Plant Production

1. SEMA HŠ s.r.o. Sládkovičovo was founded in September 1996. The company is engaged in both plant and animal production. At the moment, it farms an acreage of 1,337 hectares of land on lease. It operates in a maize production area where the natural and weather conditions make it possible to grow crops with a long growing season. The main crops include cereals, especially wheat, barley and maize; the growing of oil plants (sunflowers and oilseed rape) is very important as well. Other crops include sugar beet, peas, soya and chickpeas. The trip included a tour of fields sown with winter wheat and winter-sown peas, during which the company agronomist answered questions related to the technical issues of crop production and problem solution.

2. The Lívia Orchard, s.r.o. Kolíňany (located close to Nitra) was founded on 12 October 1997. Its original size was 25 hectares, this year it has been expanded by another 25 hectares. There are approximately 40 thousand fruit trees and shrubs with apples, pears and grapes prevailing. Additional fruits include mulberries, cherries, medlars, nuts and various other berries. There are 60 thousand foliage plants and conifers as well, and the alternative sources of energy include wind, water and sun. The marketing possibilities include direct sales of fresh fruit and/or its processing according to customer demand. Apart from the orchard, the participants had an opportunity to admire free-range animals, which are kept organically, as well as an interesting ecological infrastructure with rural architecture sensitively integrated in the landscape. The trip was concluded with a tasting of apple juice, calvados and thickened apple must.

3. The VÚRV Research Institute of Plant Production has its research station in Borovec, 15 km from Piešťany. Researchers from the Department of Alternative Plant Production gave lectures on the production of organic crops and presented the results of stationary experiments obtained in the research. Special attention was paid to weeds and various pests, especially thistle (Cirsium arvensis) and potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlinata).

Agricultural ecology is studied not only where the cultivated plants are concerned, but also in connection with other closed communities and populations such as weeds and animals. An important component of agricultural ecology is the research of the physical qualities of soil. The research of agricultural/environmental systems with regard to biodiversity and sustainable development began in 1990. The department conducts experiments in and verifies the methods of alternative plant production, organic farming of land, integrated systems, no-tillage plant growing, etc. A partial focus of the research is the quality of soil, the protection of underground water, biological plant protection, the balance of energy and material flows in agricultural/ecological systems and the biological/physical indicators of sustainable development.

The trip was supported by the Slovak Ministry of Agriculture.

Austrian Route

focused on organic food sales

Programme

Biohof Adamah, Glinzendorf
Biomarkt Maran, Vienna
EVI organic supermarket, St.Pölten
EVI organic food shop, Krems/Donau

1. Biohof Adamah (www.adamah.at), Glinzendorf, Lower Austria

The Biohof Adamah organic farm is located in the Marchfeld area (north-east of Vienna), the largest and most intensively cultivated farming area in Austria. Extensive use of irrigation water and chemical fertilizers resulted in polluted sources of water. To provide a sufficient amount of water, a special canal (Marchfeld-Kanal) was built bringing water from the Danube approx. 35 kilometres away.

The Biohof Adamah enterprise started in 1997, when it was converted from a conventional farm growing cereals, potatoes and sugar beet. At the moment, it cultivates 70 hectares of farmland and produces potatoes, carrots, oil plants, herbs and various kinds of fruits and vegetables.

The farm produce is marketed via three different channels: two organic markets in Vienna ( 25 km away), a recently introduced delivery service called BIO-KISTL (literally “organic crate”; it consists in the distribution of crates with various kinds of vegetables to Viennese households) and a splendid 90 square meter farm shop, a genuine organic food shop offering more than one thousand organic products.

The participants had an opportunity to see the organic food shop, the distribution point of the delivery service, the fields and the greenhouses with vegetables.

2. Biomarkt Maran ( www.biomarkt.co.at ), Vienna

Biomarkt Maran is the second large food shop owned by Mr. Maran and the largest and most modern organic supermarket in Austria. It is located in central Vienna, in a city district with the highest number of the Austrian Green Party supporters. Its size and product range attracts customers from the whole Vienna. The shopping area of the supermarket is 480 square metres and it offers about four thousand kinds of organic food products. It includes a butcher’s shop offering organic meat of highest quality. A large area is reserved for fruits and vegetables, cheese, baked products and desserts. Fresh milk and soya products are available, as well as ready-made food, wine and books on health and correct nutrition. Mr. Maran employs 14 workers and several apprentices.

3. EVI, St. Pölten

The EVI is a pioneer of organic food marketing in Austria. It was founded in 1980 as an initiative of farmers and customers (“EVI” stands for “Erzeuger Verbraucher Initiative”) to bring organic products, which were then hard to get, from the farmers to the consumers. Later it developed into a 90 square meter organic food shop with a refreshment room. When St. Pölten became the capital of Lower Austria, an opportunity of expansion arrived. A new modern shop called Biofachmarkt EVI was open in October 2003. Its size is 560 square metres with ca. three thousand organic products on offer and includes a vegetarian self-service restaurant. Organic textiles, handmade shoes and cosmetic products are available as well. Improtantly, there is a large parking area next to the shop.

4. EVI - Krems/Donau

EVI - Krems/Donau is a second outlet run by the EVI. Its size is about 75 sq. metres. The shop is a very good example of an efficient organic food shop operating in limited conditions. For further expansion, new premises are needed. The shop’s size and range of products on offer is an example of an average organic Austrian food shop.

Outlook

Changing consumer buying habits and the competing conventional supermarkets force the small organic food shops to look for new survival measures. The example of the EVI shop in St. Pölten shows that risking is worth while, and that it is always better to take the initiative than to be forced by the circumstances to accept the changes. Modernization and/or change of premises are the key points in future success.